Epilogue
Izzy
Five Years Later
I pull the hockey sweater out of my jeans and re-tuck it, chewing on my lip all the while. On the ice, Nikolai and Cooper
and the rest of their teammates are warming up, but they look tiny from this angle. The team practically tripped over itself
to offer us a box for opening night; they wanted the whole family together for Nik and Cooper’s first NHL game as brothers-in-law.
The box is still filling up, but as I look around, I spot Katherine and her fiancé chatting with Mom and Dad. Cricket and
her wife walking arm-in-arm. Bex, laughing at something Penny just said while she wipes Charlie’s face with a napkin. Penny
holding her son, Lukas, on her lap. He’s wearing those adorable baby headphones, which highlight his mop of gingery hair.
I give Joseph a nod as he enters. I’ve never forgiven him for what he tried to do to Nik, but we’ve reached an understanding.
We both love him. We both want him to succeed. And considering the fact that Nik has led all defensemen in the league in points
the past two seasons, I’d say he made the right career choice.
James walks over, holding his younger daughter, Harper, on his hip. When she sees me—her favorite aunt, of course—she reaches
her arms out. The little Rangers jersey she’s wearing looks unfairly cute on her.
“Oof,” I say as James sets her on my lap. “You’re getting so big!”
“How is Uncle Nik going to play, Harps?” James asks. “Good, right?”
“Bad!” she declares, brushing her strawberry-blond hair, so like Bex’s, out of her face.
I burst into laughter. James looks at her helplessly.
“Sorry,” he says. “She’s in this phase where everything is bad. It’s her favorite word.”
I blow her a kiss anyway. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”
James takes a seat next to us. “You okay?”
“Just nervous.” When we found out that the Sharks were planning to trade Nik, it came as much of a surprise to us as everyone
else that the Rangers won out. He wants this to be a long-term thing, considering Cooper’s recent contract extension. Even
if it isn’t, I can’t deny how exciting it’ll be to see them on the same side of the ice again. “You remember how banged up
he was by the end of last season.”
“He’s healthy now,” he says reassuringly. “He’ll get back in the groove of things.”
“Auntie Mia!” Harper says, pointing at the door. I crane my neck around, watching as Mia hugs Penny.
“Are we late?” she asks, kissing her nephew on the head. “This is when I regret being all the way in Boston.”
“The traffic was rough,” Sebastian adds as he embraces Bex.
“No, you’re perfect,” Bex says.
“How are things going with the restaurant?” Penny says, untangling Mia’s hair from Lukas’s grabbing fist.
“Uncle Sebby!” Charlie exclaims, holding up her arms.
“Charlie girl!” Sebastian scoops her up, spinning her around. “It’s great. We finalized the drinks menu.”
“I’m still impressed that you worked so many space puns into the names,” Mia says dryly.
Harper wriggles out of my lap, a determined look on her adorable face. I don’t blame her for wanting to join the group. I’ll never get enough of moments like these.
“I can’t believe you’re doing it all again,” I say to James as we follow Harper across the box. Mia picks her up, letting
her play with her necklace. “Do you know yet?”
“Another girl,” he says.
I stop short. “Seriously?”
He just nods, a quiet, pleased smile on his face. “I guess that officially makes me a girl dad?”
I throw my arms around him.
“Izzy, do you want a glass of champagne?” Penny says.
“Do it for me,” says Bex, pressing her hand against her bump. James winds his arms around her, kissing the side of her head.
I hold up my drink in answer. It’s just seltzer, but they don’t need to know that yet. It’s barely sunk in; life has been
so busy lately. Between my own wedding this past summer—in the Hamptons, of course—the trade, Nik acclimating to the new team,
and wrapping up my last West Coast clients’ weddings while moving across the country with a dog, I’ve barely had time to breathe,
let alone really think about the positive pregnancy test I stared at in private the other day. We only just started to try,
so I had no idea to expect it so soon.
One thing I do know? Our baby will have plenty of cousins.
The thought makes me smile. Sebastian and Mia won’t be having kids, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Cooper and Penny gave Lukas
a sibling at some point. I fiddle with my wedding ring—an heirloom from Katherine that she gave to Nik the moment he mentioned
proposing—as I take in the scene.
My family. The family I was born into, and the family Nik chose. Literally chose, since he took my family’s name when we got married. It was sad to say goodbye to San Jose, but I can’t deny that this homecoming feels good. Sebastian and Mia in Boston, Bex, James, and the girls in Philadelphia, and the rest of us in New York—it’s close. It’s perfect.
“Let’s go down for a quick hello before the game,” Penny says to me. “Luke likes seeing Cooper on the ice.”
When we reach the boards, I tap on the glass, waving at my husband.
Nikolai Callahan, my husband. I’ll never get tired of thinking that.
He skates over, pulling off his helmet with a grin. His hair flops over his forehead, eyes dancing with warmth.
I practically swoon. Six years together, going on seven, and he still gives me butterflies. If there wasn’t glass separating
us, I’d have jumped into his arms the moment he got close enough. He looked great in teal, but dark blue isn’t half bad, either.
“Hey,” I say, pressing as close as I can, anyway. “You ready?”
“I’m always ready. Everything good in the box?”
“Yeah. Luke wanted to see his dad.”
We look over. Cooper’s in the middle of playing peekaboo with Lukas, who giggles wildly, trying to grab him through the glass.
“Is Daddy marching into battle?” Penny says, bouncing him on her hip. “Is he going to defeat the evil Bruins?”
“I’m looking forward to that,” Nik says.
“Oh,” I say softly. I nearly press a hand to my stomach, but manage to contain myself. I shouldn’t tell him here. He’ll be
distracted for the game, and that’s the last thing he needs on opening night.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he adds, his smile taking on a teasing edge.
I hesitate, twisting my wedding ring around my finger.
“Everything okay?”
“It’s just—I guess we need to be ready,” I say in Russian. I’m not fully fluent, but I’ve worked at it long and hard enough
that we can hold whole conversations in the language.
I’m sure he’ll want to teach our child how to speak it, too. The thought of that fills me with joy. We haven’t been to Russia
yet, but maybe one day. There’s always hope for a more peaceful future.
It takes a split second for it to sink in. “You’re serious?”
“I took five different tests to make sure.”
“You’re pregnant.” His voice drops, taking on a rough edge. He clears his throat. “Isabelle, you’re really pregnant?”
At my nod, he smiles, so widely it takes my breath away.
“Yes,” I whisper, crowding even closer. I press my palm to the glass, and he does the same with his gloved hand.
“Are you okay? Do you feel good?”
I nod tearfully. I knew he’d be happy; we’ve spoken enough about it that we’re certain it’s something we both want, but all
the same, this is unexpected. “Do you feel good?”
“I’m scared,” he admits. “Scared, but excited.”
“You’re going to be a wonderful father.” My heart soars at the truth in those words. If there’s anything I’m certain about,
it’s that. He has spent so much time working on himself, for us, and hasn’t wavered from my side since that morning at James
and Bex’s wedding. “You deserve this, Kolya.”
“You’re the only one I’d ever want to do it with,” he murmurs. “I can’t wait.”
“I love you,” I whisper back. “Ya lyublyu tebya.”
That phrase he taught me so long ago, back when we were just starting to imagine our shared future.
Even though the game is starting soon, he leaves the ice, wrapping me in his embrace. Gently. Carefully. His kiss lingers; his hand cradles my belly. When we finally break it off, tears glint in his calm, reassuring eyes.
There’s so much love and joy in his expression, it shines through like gold. I blink away my own tears as my vision blurs.
After all, I don’t want to miss a single moment of our forever.